Water Babies
View company profile →
Strict, costly Ts & Cs! Avoid!
I was keen to take my daughter swimming as I'd enjoyed going with her big sister, but the independent business we went with before were having issues with the local pool, so I decided to try Water Babies instead. I shouldn't have bothered! I felt almost pressured into booking: rang me up to book and told to pay straight away on the phone - only then was I told how much it was as I was telling them my card details. I didn't know the price prior to paying it - there's nothing online, not even a price range. I knew they wouldn't be cheap, but I would've liked to have had time to think it over. (This is also not taking into account that I have anxiety so I find it difficult on the phone - however, there is no other way to book after you send an enquiry.) I also enquired (in July) about booking for Sept start, but was told a space was available on the July course - the first lesson in 3 days' time. I told the lady on the phone that I was thinking Sept as we were away in a week so would miss the 2nd lesson and didn't want to pay for something I wasn't going to attend, but she told me it was okay and we'd reschedule the one I'd miss for another local one. Beware - they tell you things on the phone to sell the classes to you - it's not true! I told the instructor that we were missing the following lesson and she said she'd get someone to ring me to rearrange, but this never happened and consequently I lost my money for that lesson. I wouldn't have booked for July if I'd known that and not been told otherwise. A closer look at the Terms and Conditions states that you have to take 8 lessons before you can cancel and even if you don't accept the Ts and Cs or turn up to your first lesson, you still become a 'current client' and have to take the 8 lessons anyway. You also aren't allowed to reschedule lessons in this 'introductory period' - so I don't know what the lady who booked us on was on about! Because of the price and losing that lesson, I can't afford to take anymore, so I decided to cancel. A couple of days after sending the cancellation email in 1st week of Sept, I got an email back telling me to ring them to 'chat about it'--see above, I get anxious on the phone. Nevertheless, when I tried, I couldn't even get through anyway. Customer service constantly takes you to voicemail. A week later, got the cancellation confirmed email - only to say that, despite the fact I'd given a 4 week notice period (at this point three lessons remaining), I had to stay until the end of October as per the 'notice period' in the Terms and Conditions - so 8 lessons after I'd sent the cancellation email! I've given the Ts&Cs another read and yes, it says that [I quote: "When we receive your written notice, your subscription will end on the last scheduled lesson in the following month (For example, if you give notice at any point in January, your subscription will end on the last scheduled lesson in February)."] But I don't think that's fair as it means you essentially have to cancel two months in advance of when you want to finish. So, when I first booked, then?? The classes are fine, but our pool was small and the instructors don't really interact with the babies or call them by their names. It definitely felt like we were expected to know lots of things already, especially about underwater dunks (you can ask them not to take your baby under, but beware that they do include loads of underwater stuff straight away) and when our instructor changed, the new one didn't seem to know what we'd done or not. Avoid Water Babies! It looks like other people have had the same issue with unfair Ts&Cs that you don't get to see until they've already taken your money.